Whip-lock.



w. J. ARNE'TT.

WHIP LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 190B.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

William JAr/m wAsulnamn, n. c.

WILLIAM J. ARNETT, OF MARGERUM, ALABAMA.

WHIP-LOOK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

Application filed April 29, 1908. Serial No. 429,900.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. ARNETT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Margerum, in the county of Colbert, State of Alabama, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in VVhip-Locks; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to attachments for. vehicles for preventing thesurreptitious removal of the whip in the absence of the driver, and hasfor one of its objects to provide a simply constructed device which willautomatically lock the Whip in a suitable socket when the occupantleaves the vehicle, and will automatically release the whip when theoccupant returns to the vehicle.

The object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed meansoperative by the compression and expansion of the springs of the vehicleincident to the occupant mounting the vehicle or retiring therefrom, torelease and lock the whip automatically by the act of the occupantmounting or dis mounting from the vehicle.

With this and other objects in view the invention consists first in asuitably arranged socket for the whip, means between the socket and therunning gear of the vehicle whereby the compression and expansion of thesprings incident to the driver mounting the vehicle or dismountingtherefrom will automatically release or lock the whip in the socket.

The invention further consists in certain novel features of constructionas hereafter shown and described and then specificaily pointed out inthe claims, and in the drawings illustrating the referred form of theinvention, Figure 1 1s a longitudinal sectional view of a conventionalvehicle including the body, a portion of the running gear, and thesprings with the improvement applied. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same.Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l with the parts in looking position.

The improved device may be applied to any of the various forms ofvehicles having springs, but is more particularly applicable to buggies,and carriages of the various forms. For the purpose of illustration aconventional form of a vehicle is shown comprising a body 10, therunning gear including the forward axle 11, the rear axle 12, and thereach elements 13, together with the forward wheels 1 1 and the rearwheels 15, the body being connected to the running gear by the usualforward spring 16 and rear spring 17. These portions of the device maybe of any form or style as the improvement is applicable to all thevarious styles of vehicles of this class without material structuralchange, and it is not therefore desired to limit the invention in anymanner to any specific form of vehicle, but as the changes required tobe made to adapt the invention to the different forms of vehicles arenot material, it is not thought necessary to illustrate all the variousforms of vehicles to which the device may be applied.

The improved device comprises a whip socket 18, of any approved formwhich is adapted to receive the butt end 19 of a whip, the butt endprovided with a lateral enlargement or knob 20. The butt end of the whipis adapted to be inserted into the socket 18 with the enlarged end 20bearing upon the bottom of the socket, and formed through the side ofthe socket is an aperture 21 through which one end of a rod 22 extendsand adapted when in its inward position to bear against the whip body 18above the projection 20, and thus lock the whip removably in the socket.

Disposed at some point in the body, preferably at the rear end, is abell-crank lever 23 pivoted at 2 1 to the body, and connected by one ofits arms to the rear end of the rod 22. Connected between the other armof the lever 23 and the running gear, preferably to the reach element13, is a rod 25. The rods 2225 will be provided respectively withadjusting means 26-27, so that their lengths may be altered to enablethem to be operated with accuracy. The rods 2225 will be so adjusted asto length that when the body 10 is without a passenger, the spring 16-17will be distended and thus maintain the rod in its elevated position,and likewise dispose the crank arm 23 in position to maintain the rod 22in its operative position in engagement over the projection 20 of thebutt of the whip, and thus lock the whip in its socket. Then when thedriver mounts the body, his weight will depress the springs and carrythe body downward and thus cause the rod 25 to reverse the position ofthe crank arm 23 and withdraw the rod 22 and release the whip. Thus thewhip will remain in removable position relative to the socket so long asthe driver occupies the vehicle, but when the driver dismount-s, therelease of the load from the springs will cause them to expand, and thusoperate the mechanism and again lock the whip into its socket.

Itwill be obvious that the crank arm 23 and the rod 25 may be applied toany portion of the running gear, but will preferably be applied near therear axle, as shown, as the mechanism is less in the way of other partsof the vehicle in this part and is also more liable to be concealed fromobservation by persons who have designs on the Whip.

WVhile the mechanism shown is the preferred form of the embodiment ofthe invention, it is not desired to be limited thereto, as changes inthe form and minor details of construction may be made to adapt thedevice to various forms of vehicles without departing from the principleof the invention, or sacrificing any of its advantages within the scopeof the appended claims.

What is claimed, is

l. The combination with a vehicle including the body, running gear, andsprings between the body and running gear, of a socket to receive thewhip, a whip having a lateral projection at the butt end and engagingsaid socket, and means operative by the running gear for locking saidwhip within said socket when the springs are in distended position andto release the whip when the springs are compressed by the weight of theperson in the vehicle.

2. The combination with a vehicle including the body, running gear, andsprings between the body and running gear, of a socket, a whipdetachably engaging said socket, and a locking means between the runninggear and the socket and operating to engage the whip when the springsare distended and to release the whip when the springs are compressed.

3. The combination with a vehicle including the running gear, body andsprings between the running gear and body, of a socket for receiving thewhip carried by the body, a whip having a lateral projection at the buttend and engaging said socket, a rod movably disposed in said body andadapted to engage said whip when in one position, and connecting meansbetween said rod and the running gear, whereby said rod is projectedinto said socket and engaged with said whip when the springs aredistended and withdrawn from the socket and the whip released when thesprings are compressed.

4. The combination with a vehicle including the body, running gear, andsprings between the body and running gear, of a socket for the whipcarried by the body, a whip having a lateral projection, a bell-cranklever connected to said body, a rod pivoted at one end to one end ofsaid bell-crank lever and with the other end protruded into said socketand adapted to engage above the protuberance on the whip, and a rodconnected at one end to the other end of said bell-crank lever and atthe other end to said running gear, whereby when the springs aredepressed by the load disposed within the body the rod will be withdrawnand release the whip, and the rod projected into the socket and lockingthe whip therein when the load is removed from the body and the springsexpanded.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM J. ARNETT. l/Vitnesses:

J. B. PRIDE, L. T. HARDGASTLE.

